The Cecil Whig., 1887-05-07
The Late DR.. ]. G. Hollands Opinion
Physician Climbing the Editorial Stairs

h lhysician Climbing the Editor ial stains.
The columns of the ne wspapers appear
/ to be Hooded with proprietary medicine ad
yertlSementS. AS we cast our eye over
them, it brings to mind an article that
was published by the late DR.. Holland in
iScrE5Her'S UOHhkg. lie says: Never
! theleas, it is a fact that many of the best
proprietary medicines of the day were
more successful than many physicians,
and most of them, it should be remem-
bered, were at first discovered or used in
actual medical practice. When, however,
any shrewd person, knowing their virtue,
aud foreseeing their popularity, secures
aud adyertises them, then, III the opinion
of the bigotod, ali virtue went out of
them"
Is not this absurd? This great man ap-
prec!ated the real merits of popular rem
edles, and the absurdity of those that de-
rided them because public attention was
called to the article and the evidence of
their cures. II the most noted physician
should announce that he had made a
study OF any certain organ or disease of
the body, or make his sign larger than
the code size, though he may have prac-
tised medicine and been leader in all
medical counselS, Notwithstanding all
this, If lie should presume to advertise
and deciue to give his discovery to the
pubic, he would he pronounced Quack
ami a humbug, although he may have
spent his entire life and all his available
funds in perfectlng his Investigations.
Again we say, absurd
If an ulcer is found upon ones arm,
and is cured by some dear soul of grand
mother, outside of the code, it will be
pronounced by the medical profession an
ulcer OF little Importance. But if treated
under the code, causing sleepless nights
for a month, with the scientific treat
ment, VIZ, plasters, washes, dosing with
morphine, arsenic and other vile substan-
ces given to prevent blood poisoning or
deadeu pain, and yet the ulcer becomes
malignant, and amputasion is made neces-
sary at last. to save life, yet all done ac-
cording to the ''isms" of the medical code,
this is much more gratifying to the med
ical profession, and adds more dignity to
that distinguished order than to he cured
by the dear old graudmother's remedy.
TGis appears like severe arraignment,
yet we Oelieve that 1t expresses the true
standing of the medical profession in re-
gard to remsdies discovered outside of
their special "isms." One of the most
perplexing things of the day is the popu-
larity of certain remedies, especially
Warmers safe cure, which we find for
sale everywhere. The physician of the
highest standing is ready to concede its
merits and sustain the theories and pro-
prietors have made-that is that it ben-
etits in most of the ailments of the hu-
name system because it assists in putting
the kidneys in proper condition, thereby
aiding in throwing oft the impurities of
the blood, while others with less honesty
and experience deride, and are willing to
see their patient die scientifically, and
according to the code, rather than have
him cured by this great remedy. Yet we
notice that the popularity of the medi-
cine continues to grow year by year. The
discoverer comes boldly before the people
with It's merits, and proclaims them from
door to door in our opinion much more
honorably than The physician who, per-
chance, may secure patient from some
catastrophe, and is permitted to set a
bone of an arm or finger, which he does
with dignity, yet very soon after takes
the liberty to climb the editors back
stairs at o'clock in the morning to have
it announced in the morning paper that
"Dr. So-and-so was in attendance" and
thus secures for his benefit beautiful
and free advertisement. We shall leave
it to our readers to say which is tho
wiseot and most honorable.